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Elawa
Farm Today 
Master Plan Development
Elawa Farm was established with the support and through
the efforts of residents and various community
organizations. With the completion of the
renovation of Elawa Farm in 2008 and the resulting
increased demand for use of Elawa Farm, it became clear
that there was a need for more formal communication and
collaboration among key stakeholders and the need for a
documented, shared vision for long-term use of the site.
The City of Lake Forest Community Development
Department is facilitating the development of a Master
Plan for Elawa Farm through a series of brainstorming
and visioning sessions involving representatives from
key groups who have an ongoing interest in the success
of Elawa Farm including: Elawa Farm Foundation, the
Gardeners at Elawa Farm, The City of Lake Forest Wildlife
Discovery Center, Lake Forest Open Lands Association,
Lake County Forest Preserve District, School Districts
67 and 115, The City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
Department, the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation,
Gorton Community Center and the Middlefork Farm
Homeowner's Association. Through the dedication
and work of this group, the Master Plan will provide
parameters for ongoing use of the site, identify
potential future needs and call out opportunities for
future expansion and improvements.
Planned development and growth is critical to the
on-going success of Elawa Farm due to the location
within a distinct natural habitat, the presence of the
historic farm buildings, and the adjacency to
residential use. The Master Plan describes the
various characteristics of the site and recognizes that
there may be a need to make modifications to the site in
order to support current and future uses at Elawa Farm. The plan identifies opportunity areas for additional
parking, future structures and outdoor classrooms that
facilitate group activities at Elawa Farm. Once
the Master Plan is adopted by the City Council, proposed
uses and modifications to the site must be consistent
with the Master Plan to help further the vision of Elawa
Farm.
The Master Plan will be presented to the Zoning Board
of Appeals as part of the Board's consideration of a
Special Use Permit to further define the use and purpose
of Elawa Farm. Final consideration by the City
Council on this matter is tentatively scheduled for
early 2010. Please check the City's website for
more information on upcoming public hearings associated
with Elawa Farm.
Early
History
The gentleman farm was popular in both the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. Known as hobby farms, because
the farm operation rarely supported the house, they were
built for the owners to enjoy the pleasures of the land
and outdoor pursuits.
Elawa Farm was built in 1917 by the A. Watson Armour
family as a weekend home and gentleman farm. David Adler
designed a series of buildings for the Armours, and
Alfred Hopkins designed the farm complex. Hopkins was a
leading designer of gentleman farms, while David Adler
was a highly recognized designer of summer homes and
residences. The architectural style of the farm building
is Georgian Colonial Revival.
The original farm was 128 acres and included the
gatehouses, superintendent’s house, wagon shed, stable,
chicken coop, root cellar, two greenhouses, icehouse,
potting shed, silo and numerous outbuildings. The land
east of the farm complex was originally a 53,000 square
foot formal garden. The garden included flowers,
ornamental plantings and vegetables, as well as a fruit
orchard.
Preservation
Efforts at Elawa Farm
In the late 1980s, The City of Lake Forest and the Lake
County Forest Preserve purchased the
450-acre Middlefork
Savanna Forest Preserve. Lake Forest Open Lands
Association gained control of an additional 195-acre block of land in 1998,
including the 16-acre Elawa Farm site.
Through a unique collaborative arrangement, Open Lands
assembled partners to ensure that the majority of the
nearly 700 acres would remain open, public space. The
City of Lake Forest acquired the Elawa Farm site with the intention of restoring the property
for use as a neighborhood park and an education center.
Unfortunately, the buildings remained vacant for several
years until funds became available to restore and
rejuvenate the site.
In 1999, Elawa Farm was designated a project of the
“Save America’s Treasures” Program, a public-private
partnership between the White House Millennium Council
and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This
designation was an important step in efforts to restore
and preserve the natural splendor and historical
significance of this historic farm.
Between 2002 and 2008 the Elawa Farm buildings
underwent a major renovation project consisting of
exterior restoration and interior renovation of the Ice
House, Wagon Shed, Potting Shed, Machine Shed, the
Dairy, the Horse Stables, the Men's Quarters, the Living
Quarters and the Loggia/Porches. The renovated
buildings support environmental learning and recreation
at the site. Thanks to the hard work of the
various partners involved with Elawa Farm including the
Elawa Farm Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation
developed to raise funds to restore and endow the
facilities, and the generous contributions of residents,
Elawa Farm will remain viable for the long-term and will
continue to provide opportunities for people to explore
and appreciate the natural environment and the historic
gentleman's farm. Additionally, thanks to the
generosity of our community, funds are being raised to
build an endowment and re-establish the historic
gardens.
The preservation of the open space and historic
buildings was the result of public-private collaboration
involving The City of Lake Forest, Lake Forest Open
Lands Association, and the Lake County Forest Preserve
District, as well as generous donations from the Lake
Forest Preservation Foundation and caring residents.
If you are interested in making a donation for the
continued preservation of Elawa Farm please contact the
Elawa Farm Foundation.
Distinct Environmental
Features
With Lake Michigan as Lake Forest’s eastern boundary,
the Middlefork Savanna anchored by the Elawa Farm
complex provides an exceptional western boundary for the
northern half of Lake Forest. Located west of Waukegan
Road, Elawa Farm is one of the last remaining gentleman
farms in the Midwest. With 4 ˝ miles of Forest Preserves trails starting
at Elawa Farm, visitors can hike, bike and cross-country
ski through the Middlefork Savanna with over 570 acres
of open prairie from Rt. 176 on the north and to Rt. 60
on the south. The Nature Conservancy has described the
Middlefork Savanna as “one of the finest examples of a
black soil, tallgrass prairie in the United States.”
Home to a rare tallgrass savanna, Middlefork Savanna
features a mix of oak savanna and woodlands, wet and
mesic prairies, sedge meadows and marshes. Middlefork
provides valuable protection for state and federally
listed species such as the Blanding’s turtle. A 25-acre
parcel here is considered the highest quality tallgrass
savanna of its kind in the nation and recognized as a
globally threatened ecosystem.
Use of Elawa Farm Facilities
Spaces available for public use include
several conference and classroom spaces, a kitchen
learning center and garden and art workshop areas. Elawa
Farm tenants and Lake Forest organizations whose purpose
focuses on environmental education, gardening,
recreation and public
park services have the first opportunity to reserve
available space. All other requests are accepted on a
first-come, first-serve-basis. Application forms to
reserve space can be downloaded here using the
event application
 and also available at
Elawa Farm during regular business hours. If you need additional information, please call
Joanne Miller at
847-234-1966.
To reserve the shelter at Elawa Park,
please contact the Recreation Department, located at 400
Hastings Road, at 847-234-6700.
Wildlife Discovery Center
The first tenant of this unique property was the very
successful "Wildlife Discovery Program" of the City of
Lake Forest's Parks and Recreation Department.
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm provides
programs geared for people of all ages who have an
interest in wildlife and its habitat. Education,
recreation and responsible stewardship through real life
experiences are the primary focus of this program. Over
150 species, comprising of reptiles, amphibians and
raptors, can be viewed at the Center. There is no fee
for the main exhibit which features crocodilians, giant
snakes and lizards, the Gila monster, the Alligator
Snapping turtle and a number of native reptiles.
Visitors to the Center can see one of the nation’s
largest public rattlesnake and venomous reptile exhibits
called “The Grass Is Rattling” and view a number of
birds of prey, including a Red Tail hawk, Harris hawk,
Screech owl and a Great Horned owl.
Programs and school field trips offered through the
Center focus on wildlife education, field
biology/ecology study programs and trips, self-guided
nature hikes, wildlife ecology trips, family and special
events, workshops, summer camps and volunteer
opportunities. For information on the program or exhibit
hours, visit the Wildlife
Discovery or email
carmichr@cityoflakeforest.com.
The Garden at Elawa Farm
The mission of the Garden at Elawa Farm is to complete
and preserve the interpretive restoration of the
original garden, commissioned by A. Watson Armour, circa
1918. The 2.2 acre garden will resemble the original
garden in design as closely as practical by
re-establishing the allee, the hedges, the cutting
gardens, fruit tree stands and vegetable beds in similar
configurations.
The garden is an organic community garden
maintained by volunteers who select, plant and harvest
the crops to be grown each season. It is open to the
public for viewing and available to the community for
educational purposes. Produce harvested from the garden
and products made thereof will be available for sale at
an open-air market at the farm. Proceeds will be used to
support garden operations.
From May 1 through Thanksgiving the garden market is in
operation with volunteers working Tuesdays-Saturdays.
The garden can be visited year round to stroll and
enjoy, to photograph or paint. We invite you to take a
seat on the topmost tier to view the expanse of the Middlefork Savanna. We trust that visitors will stay on the paths
and refrain from picking produce unless given permission
to do so.
Contact Information
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